Tristan Johnson
Dr. Tristan Johnson PhD (2971 - 3028) was a Darnussian politician, historian, social critic, and author best known for his role as the ideological co-founder and the first leadership behind the Libertarian Socialist Party of Darnussia . Before the foundation of the party he was the leader of the Libertarian Socialists Organization of the University of Kozaria. Biography Early Life Johnson was raised in a middle-class immigrant family from Keymon . He was born in raised in the city of Doressa , the city in which he went to University at the University of Kozaria and earned his PhD in history at the age of 27. From his first days in university he got involved in the actions of the Libertarian party and quickly became a strong advocate for their ideals. Academic Life As an associate professor of History at U of K for a brief time, Johnson wrote several papers on labour history in Narikaton . His fellow Libertarian leaning Historians often criticized him for engaging in labour history and the flattering tone in which he sometimes portrayed events like strikes and unions. At age 29 in 3000 Johnson published his first book and the only book in the field of his study, ''Wage Slavery: A History of Capitalism in Narikaton'' . The book sold well in certain circles, but the Libertarian constituents he frequented were turned off by his suddenly anti-capitalist opinions. Alienated from his colleagues, he began to frequent Communist groups and meet with Communist leaning academics. He quickly grew disenfranchised with the lack of emphasis on civil and individual rights int he Communist party and eventually decided to form his own movement. One of his close friends from the Communist groups named Erin Sistak and himself formed a new political activist group that while it held some of the ideals of Communism it still had a lot in common with the Libertarian philosophy. They named themselves the Libertarian Socialists and the activist group in the University in 3003 would one day become the Libertarian Socialist Party . Activist and Social Critic In this period while still teaching, Johnson ran the Libertarian Socialist activist group. Around campus the movement grew rapidly in popularity. Johnson published another two books in this time period as well as many essays for local newspapers and a new paper called the Libertarian Socialist Press run by the group. The books were well received by notable social critics and a few radio and television personalities. The first public appearance Johnson made as an activist was on Radio Merenburg in February of 3004 where he expressed his points that Individual and worker rights were not mutually exclusive and that all power corrupts, political or financial. He claimed that few politicians wanted to hear such rhetoric and that any political party backing these ideals would be unlikely. He was asked shortly after if he considered starting one, and he said he didn't know. After the interview, Johnson received letters from across Darnussia of support. Motivated by the letters, he and Sistak outlined the escalation from activist group to political party. In 3006, the Libertarian Socialist Party of Darnussia was formally registered and the press became highly interested in the seemingly counterintuitive position to Darnussians at the time. Other parties seemed dismissive of the new political party. Politician Once the party first was established as a registered contender for Federal Council, the Libertarians used their right of proposition even without seats to propose several bills that did not pass. No change was made, and the party continued to have no seats in the 3008 election, but voter turnout was growing. In 3010, the party gained 8 seats in Federal council and with the Union, Communist, Libertarian, and Rerum Novarum parties still in majority hold of the government, the party was small fish and still held very little political sway. It did however manage to get a few key bills to pass, acting in some cases as the swing vote in certain propositions. The membership in the party increased over time as the Communist and Union party took hits from changing opinion. The big party boom of 3020 changed this balance, with many of the party's base being allured by the new Democratic Socialists, the massive dominance of the new Nationalist party, and the Liberty party showing up. From the first election of the Nationalists, the party took a hardline stance against their anti-liberty agenda and ruthlessly criticized the party every chance it could get. For 8 years the parliament heated up and Johnson, getting older tried to take a hard line on the growing nationalist movement, comparing them to the National Socialists of Darnussia 's past. Johnson managed to bring the party back up by a single seat in the 3027 election. Death and Legacy While driving from the Red Stad Airport to a fundraiser in April of 3028, Johnson's car was struck by another and Johnson was rushed to the hospital, after several hours of surgery, Johnson was declared dead from internal injuries. To this date there is a small group who believe Johnson was assassinated by Nationalists, but this is an unfounded conspiracy theory. In his wake the party leadership was given to the philosophical co-founder Erin Sistak to lead. Johnson's shadow still looms over the party and his name is often invoked at serious crossroads in party ideology. Political Philsosophy Libertarian Socialism Libertarian socialism (sometimes called social anarchism, and sometimes left libertarianism) is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production. Libertarian socialism is opposed to all coercive forms of social organization, and promotes free association in place of government and opposes the coercive social relations of capitalism, such as wage labor. The term libertarian socialism is used by some socialists to differentiate their philosophy from state socialism or as a synonym for anarchism. Adherents of libertarian socialism assert that a society based on freedom and equality can be achieved through abolishing authoritarian institutions that control certain means of production and subordinate the majority to an owning class or political and economic elite. Libertarian socialism also constitutes a tendency of thought that informs the identification, criticism and practical dismantling of illegitimate authority in all aspects of life. Accordingly, libertarian socialists believe that "the exercise of power in any institutionalized form—whether economic, political, religious, or sexual—brutalizes both the wielder of power and the one over whom it is exercised." Libertarian socialists generally place their hopes in decentralized means of direct democracy such as libertarian municipalism, citizens' assemblies, trade unions and workers' councils. Political philosophies commonly described as libertarian socialist include most varieties of anarchism (especially anarchist communism, anarchist collectivism, anarcho-syndicalism, mutualism and social ecology) as well as autonomism, some versions of individualist anarchism, and also Libertarian Marxist philosophies such as Council Communism. Some libertarian socialists are willing to use the powers of the state until it can be overthrown; "There is no conflict. You should use whatever methods are available to you. There is no conflict between trying to overthrow the state and using the means that are provided in a partially democratic society, the means that have been developed through popular struggles over centuries." Darnussian History Johnson often studied the history of the fall of the imperial order . Johnson spoke much on that being the golden age of Darnussia and hoping to return to something similar. Category:Libertarian Socialist Party of Darnussia